Game device



April 21, 1931. I WAGNER 1,801,944

GAME DEVICE Original Filed May 31. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORN EY.

April 21, 1931.

| WAGNER GAME DEVICE Original Filed May 31 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

April 21, 193.1. y WAGNER 1,801,944

GAME DEVICE Original Filed May 31, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z a; Fwy. A?- 20 7 1o 6 1! Q 2/ /4 59 IZZ/ /,l

j INVENTOR ATTORN EY.

Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? ISIDOR WAGNER, or sun. LOUIS, MISSOURI I GAME DEVICE Original application filed May 31, 1928, Serial No. 281,881. Divided and 'this' application filed April 15,

1929; Serial No. 355,384.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in game devices inconjunction with coin-controlled means foractuating the game device per se. I I r The main object of this invention is to provide a gamedevice by which-marbles are delivered in succession to a special perforated plate when actuating mechanism is made operat ive by the insertion of a coin. Other peculiarities will be hereinafter described and claimed. l r

This application is a division of my-application for-a Gumvending game device, Serial No. 281,881, filed May 31, 1928.

In the HCCOIIlPfl-IlYiIlg. drawings in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts, 7 r v Fig. 1 represents an isometric view of a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a plan view of a perforated plate with saucer shaped depressions surrounding theperforations;

Fig. 3, an endview of the same;

Fig. 4:, a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6, a plan view of a perforated guard.

plate with abutting wall; s

Fig. 7, a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8,-an end and a plan view of a curved plate;

Fig. 9, a marbles, I Fig. 10, a section on the line -10 of Fig.

plan view of aninclined pan for v Fig. 11, a vertical elevation of the coincontrolled means for actuating both the game device and the vending device and cross -sec+ tion of the casing just inside the adjacent front end wall; 7

Fig. 12, a rear view of the notched coin disc; and r I Fig. 13, a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line 13-13 of Fig. 11. v I Referring tothe drawings, the numeral 1 designates a rectangular casing having glazed windows 2 in sides and top through which maybe seen a horizontal rectangular plate 3 having depressions of various depths,-preferably saucer shapedand intersecting in ridges on its upper face. A hole .4 at or near the center of each of these multiple depressions gives passage to a marble gravitating therein. This plate is about midway of the heightof the casing and just below the windows."

At the center of this plate is a hole- 5 through the apex of a'conical hill; Ateach end of'theplate 3'is a curved plate '6 (Figs. 8 and 13) leading downward from a back wall 7 and a partition 8 respectively, and behind. depending parti-tionwalls 9. p Below thepla-te 3 is slidably mounted a reciprocating guard plate 10 (Figs. 6, 7 and 13) having holes 11 adapted'to match the 'holes in the upper plate, but normally eccentric to the same to prevent the marbles passing therethrough except when they coin cide. Springs 12 hold the guard plate normally against the partition 8,--or otherwise locate the holes in unmatching positionuntil the guard plate is reciprocated. i 7

Below these two plates is mounted a pan 13 inclined downward from the back and sides to a central outletl l' in the partition. Curved deflecting ribs 15 on this pan guide the gravitating marblesto said outlet (Figs. 9, 10 and 13) V I I On the opposite (left) front face of the partition 8or integral therewith-is mounted a wall plate 16 (Figs. 11 and-13) having a hole corresponding to the outlet 14, and an upper inlet hole 17 continued through the partition and diametrically opposite the outlet 14 with regard to'a central hole 18 for a horizontal stud shaft 19 mounted therein and extending outside the frontwall of the easing (Fig. '13); i These holes are located substantially *in the vertical central plane through the shaft, or slightly on opposite sides of said plane respectively. j Between the outlet and inlet holes are two arcuat-e'ribs 21 and 22 (Figs. 11and'13), projecting laterally from the face concentric withthe shaft and forming an arcuatep'assage 23 for the marbles as they areraised in a semicircle (by means presently described) from-the "lower to. the upper hole. A coin slot 24' just beyond thehole 17 is formed in a lug 25 projecting from the wall plate, and a retaining rib 26 for the coin extends outward still further and down to the 'horizontal'plane Y where the coin is released. A cover plate 27 screwed to the face of the lug covers the slot, which is extended through the top of the casing and face plate 36 (Fig. 11).

On the said shaft next to the wall plate is loosely mounted a coin disc 28 having wedge-shaped recesses 29 (Fig. 11) in its front rim face for coin,preferably six in number. A retaining ring 30 (Fig. 13) fastened to this rim closes the outside of these recesses, and six cam projections 31 extend laterally from the face.

On this disc at the rear are six pockets 32 (Fig. 12) for marbles, preferably formed by circular segments of two sets of spaced ribs 33-34, concentric with the shaft and entering said arcuate passage 23 (Fig. 13). The marbles pass through the outlet 14 into these pockets successively, as the coin disc is rotated as described later.

On the shorter radius from the shaft is formed a rib 35 on the back of the disc, having six V-shaped notches 37 that pass a hole in the wall plate in which is mounted a slidable plunger 39 having a wedge-shaped point adapted to engage said notches.

This plunger is fastened to said guard plate 10 and controlled by said springs 12. As it and the guard plate are forced back ward by the rib 35 between the notches, the holes in the guard plate coincide with those in the plate above and allow the marble thereon to fall into the pan below and roll to the outlet, ready to enter the adjacent pocket 32 when the latter comes opposite said outlet,which occurs when the plunger enters the next notch rotating towards it.

This disc 28 is rotated by a sector 40 (Figs. 11 and 13) having an inwardly projecting rib 41 at its periphery, and loosely mounted on the shaft in front of the coin disc. The sector is operated in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 11) by a crank 42 loosely mounted on the shaft outside the sector, and having operative connection with it by a dowel or otherwise. A set collar 44 on the outer end of the shaft allows the crank to be removed when it is desired to open the front wall of the casing which is normally locked.

The said rib 41 extends inward over the end of the coin disc. This rib-when rotated-engages the edge of a coin dropped into the coin recess below the coin slot and causes the coin disc and sector to rotate together under the impulse of the operator on the the crank, and make one-sixth of a revolution, thus disengaging the plunger 39 from one V-shaped notch 37 and bringing the next approaching notch into engagement with the plunger, which checksthe rotation.

The deposited coin is carried downward under the guarding rib 26 towards the horizontal plane Y, and is released on the next forward movement of the disc. The coin disc is held by said plunger having entered the lowest notch 37. The operator releases the operating lever 42, and the sector and handle lever are pulled back by the spring 46 to the position shown in Figs. 11 and 1. The marble that has been raised and brought opposite the inlet 17, leaves the upper pocket and passes through the inlet down upon the plate 3, where it rolls back and forth more or less till it finds one of the holes therein. There it rests upon the lower guard plate until another reciprocation of the guard plate allows it to fall into the pan and roll to the disc pocket 32 that is then opposite the outlet,and so on in succession.

Other connecting means between the leveroperated sector and vertical rotary disc may be used instead of a deposited coin and intercepting rib 41. The game may be operated without depositing a coin, by means of a trip pawl 45 pivoted to the sector and having its notched end thrown out into the path of the cam projections 31 by a spring 60. hen the coin is used as said connecting means, this pawl is kept out of engagement by a pin 61 as shown in Fig. 11; but this pin is inaccessible till the front end 20 of the casing is unlocked and removed.

The marbles operate in a closed path, being successively raised from the pan outlet hole 14 to the upper inlet hole 17 through which each passes to the other side of the partition and rolls down the adjacent curved plate 6 with sufficient gravitating force to cross the ridges and depressions of the fixed horizontal plate 3 and upward on the opposite curved plate 6, which returns the marble. Its speed causes it to travel back and forth several times till it slows down enough to stop in one of the saucer shaped depressions and finally come to rest at the perforation therein and upon the lower perforated plate, the holes in which are eccentric to those in the upper plate when the plunger point and the notch 37 are engaged, but are coincident when the plunger rides on the cam surfaces between the notches. The relative location of the perforations or other identifying means, determines the value of the respective perforations in the upper plate 3 according to rules agreed upon in playing this game device. Rapid manipulation of the lever handle 42 will cause two or more marbles to be traveling back and forth seeking a perforated depression and coming to rest therein. Upon the next reciprocation of the guard plate, the marbles that have come to rest will pass through the perforations in both plates and will fall upon the inclined pan. handle lever will allow each marble singly to come to rest in the appropriate depression, and the next forward movement of the handle will reciprocate the lower plate and allow the marble to drop through into the pan below and be guided to the outlet 14, before the following marble has come to rest in A slower manipulation of said a depression. The marbles may be of difierent colors and have other distinguishing characteristics according to rules agreed upon, which rules form no part of the construction of my device and may be varied according to agreement of the players.

I claim:

1. A game device comprising a casing, a horizontal plate perforated for the passage of marbles and mounted in said casing, reciprocating means guarding said perforations and provided with a horizontal plunger thereon, a vertical rotatable disc having a lateral rib with notches forming intervening cam surfaces successively engaging said plun er, a spring connected to said reciprocating means and tending to maintain engagement of said plunger and notched rib and to cooperatewith said cam surfaces in operating said reciprocating means, and means to rotate said disc.

2. A game device comprising a casing, a vertical wall plate therein having an upper inlet hole and a lower outlet hole for the passage of marbles and having laterally projecting circular ribs connecting said holes, a horizontal shaft concentric with said ribs, a rotatable disc mounted on said shaft provided on its back face with pockets for marbles guarded by said wall ribs and rotatable past said holes and having also a circular notched rib forming a series of cam surfaces, a reciprocable perforated plate having a horizontal plunger, a spring maintaining engagement of said plunger and notched rib, an upper perforated horizontal plate mounted directly above the reciprocating plate and in horizontal plane between the inlet and outlet holes, the perforations of both plates being eccentric when said plunger engages the notches, and coincident when it rides the rib between the notches, and means to rotate said disc, substantially as described.

3. A game device comprising a horizontal plate perforated for the passage of marbles, a horizontal reciprocating guard plate mounted below said plate and having a horizontal plunger mounted thereon, a spring to return said guard plate, a vertical rotatable disc having a circular cam surface disposed opside of said partition to raise marbles successively from the outlet to the inlet hole, and cam means operatively connected to said reciprocating plate adapted to actuate the latter, substantially as described.

5. A game device comprising a casing, a vertical partition therein having an upper inlet hole and a lower outlet hole for the passage of marbles, a pair of horizontal plates mounted one over the other in said casing and both perforated for marbles and the lower plate being reciprocable, an inclined pan mounted below said plates having ribs to guide to said outlet in the partition the marbles passing the perforations in said plates, a rotatable vertical disc mounted on the other side of said partition and having marble pockets passing said outlet and inlet holes to receive and raise marbles from the outlet hole and deliver them to the inlet hole by intermittent rotation, operative connec tions between said disc and the reciprocating plate, and coin-controlled means for actuating said disc, substantially as described.

6. A game device comprising a closed casing with glazed openings in the sides and top thereof, a cross partition in said casing having an outlet hole near the bottom and an inlet hole near the top thereof for the passage of marbles, a fixed horizontal plate with perforated depressions mounted below said glazed side openings and substantially midway of the upper and lower holes in the partition, curved plates vertically disposed for both ends of said fixed plate to gravitatingly guide and return the marbles passing said inlet hole, a spring-controlled guard plate directly below the fixed plate and having a horizontal plunger passing through said partition, coin-controlled means to raise marbles from the outlet to the inlet hole, and cam means engaging said plunger and also actuated by said coin-controlled means.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

' ISIDOR WAGNER.

posite to and engaging said plunger and adapted to cooperate with said spring to reciprocate said plunger and guard plate, and means for actuating said disc, substantially as described.

4. A game device comprising a casing, a partition therein having a lower outlet hole for the passage of marbles and an upper inlet hole for the passage of marbles, a fixed perforated plate horizontally mounted in a plane between said'holes, curved plates vertically disposed at each end of said perforated plate, a spring-controlled reciprocating perforated plate mounted directly below the fixed plate, means located on the other 

